Key Lesson
Telling Stories About Impact

The Social Impact Story Map will get you started on your storytelling journey.

This tool is adapted from the Hero’s Journey, a tried and true model used to
structure stories that capture people’s attention and imagination. It is a
“formula” based on research about storytelling in many different cultures.

This is a flexible formula that works for telling many kinds of stories. We’ve
adapted it specifically for telling stories about social impact.

The Social Impact Story Map helps you structure your story around key steps
that comprise a narrative arc (referred to as the “hero’s journey”). There are
four sections: (1) Status Quo & First Steps, (2) Obstacles & Allies, (3)
Breakthrough, and (4) Impact

These four sections are broken down further into ten steps that you can use to
map out your story from beginning to end. Some stories may cover all the steps,
and some may touch on only a few. And that’s okay.

The map guides you through questions about the people (“characters”) in your
story, doubts or concerns facing them, steps toward a possible solution,
obstacles they encounter along the way, and ultimately the impact they make on
people’s lives.
Let’s get started on your Story Map to write an authentic, compelling story
that your audience will want to experience.

To help you with your answers, we have used examples from this video throughout this section.

Before we dive into designing your story arc, let’s answer a few questions that
will set the tone for your story.

Character & Setting

1.
Who is telling your story?

Tip:
It’s important to consider who will tell the story and how their point of view will affect the narrative. Is the narrator part of the story, or external to it? Is he or she watching the story unfold, or looking back on something that has already happened?

Status Quo & First Steps

To help you with your answers, we are using charity: water’s video as an
example throughout this lesson.

4.
Eyes Opened: How were your main character’s eyes opened to the need?

Tip:
Recreate the moment when the person realized that something needed to be done. This can help your audience experience the “eye-opening” moment as well. You could think of it as the problem or solution.